


Watch Over You

by SpencerRemyLvr



Series: Our Dysfunctional Family [2]
Category: Criminal Minds, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 06:25:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10634133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/pseuds/SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: The Bartons welcome their newest addition to the family...





	1. Chapter 1

Dr. Spencer Reid, freshly graduated from Caltech and on the fast track to the FBI Academy, was happily in the middle of setting up his brand new apartment in DC, the first place he’d ever lived on his own, when a call came in from a familiar number. Spencer put down the books he was holding and scooped his phone up. He smiled as he answered it “Dr. Reid.”

The low chuckle he got only made his grin grow. “ _Damn, I’m never gonna get tired of hearing you answer a phone like that, kid._ ”

That right there was exactly why Spencer answered that way. He knew how happy Clint was to hear it. How… how _proud_ he and Laura were. Hearing how happy it made them was enough to make Spencer smile each and every time. That didn’t stop him from playfully saying, “You’re ridiculous, Abbu.”

“ _Yet you love me anyways._ ”

“We all have our faults.” Spencer shot back dryly. He was smirking as he listened to Clint’s choked laughter. Scooping up the books on his desk, Spencer walked them over to the bookshelf while he waited for Clint’s laughter to die down.

“ _You’re such a little shit._ ” Clint said, still chuckling a little. The words were fond, though.

Spencer's eyes crinkled at the edges from his smile. There was no one here to see the way his expression softened into something he wouldn’t dare show around anyone. It gentled everything about him and showed the love he clearly felt for this man. “Yet you love me anyways.” He shot back, turning Clint’s own words back against him.

That earned him another laugh. “ _Touché, Spencer._ ” He made a soft huffing sound that Spencer knew meant he’d be shaking his head and smiling. Then his voice came back and it was just a bit more serious than before. “ _Listen, peanut. I know you were planning on coming home in a couple weeks, but I was hoping you might be able to make the trip a bit sooner_.”

Immediately Spencer went still. He set down the book he’d been pulling out of his box and focused his full attention on the phone. “Is everything okay?”

“ _Yeah, yeah_.” Clint reassured him quickly, letting Spencer relax a little. The older man wouldn’t directly lie to him, he knew. “ _We’re all fine here, Spencer, I promise. It’s just... there’s a job that Fury needs me on, an I guess there’s no one else out there he trusts to do it. I tried to tell him no, but Phil and Laura both ganged up on me and told me to go._ ” There was just a brief pause and then Clint’s voice lowered, hitting a tone that showed some of the anger he was feeling inside. “ _It involves kids._ ”

Ah. Nothing else really had to be said. Any job in their line of work that involved kids—well, it wasn’t going to be good.

Spencer could easily see where Clint was going with all this. Training at the Academy didn’t start until the end of February, just a few months away, and Spencer had planned already to head back home at Clint and Laura’s request so she could be there for not only Cooper’s birth—Laura’s due date was January 27th—but for Christmas as well, because that was apparently important to them. That wasn’t for another month, yet if Clint was being forced out of town it was logical that he’d want someone there with Laura, someone that he could trust. “Tashi’s going with you?” Spencer asked.

He made a low humming sound that was just a bit amused. “ _I still can’t believe she lets you call her that. No, she’s not coming with me. She’ll be out there too. But, as much as I love her, you’ve seen how she is with Laura. She’s a bit…”_

“Overprotective?” Spencer filled in.

Clint laughed. “ _Yeah._ ” They both knew that was putting it lightly. Natasha was unsure about pregnancy and everything that went with it, and uncomfortable at the thought of children, yet that didn’t stop her from trying her best to be there for Laura, who she’d gotten extremely close to. Only, in Natasha’s world, helping someone out usually meant protecting them in some way or another, usually with dangerous methods. That had resulted in some rather entertaining moments throughout Laura’s pregnancy as Natasha sought to show how much she cared now by becoming just a _bit_ overprotective. Laura had laughed so hard she’d almost fallen off the couch one night when Natasha had physically dragged Clint out to make sure he got Laura’s vitamins refilled and that he brought home the exact food she wanted for dinner. She’d also assaulted a poor man in a grocery store for daring to reach out and touch Laura’s stomach without permission.

Most likely, if Laura showed any signs of discomfort, Natasha would be campaigning to get her to a hospital even when it wasn’t necessary. She’d be too on the lookout for trouble to realize when it was nothing and when it was serious. She’d also likely be focused on the security of the farm with Clint gone. Laura was going to need someone calm and level headed to be there with her. That was something that Spencer could do, no matter how nervous the idea of children made her.

That was how Spencer found him making his way towards what they all just referred to as ‘The Farm’.

Habit had him making the switch about halfway through the trip so that _she_ arrived at the farm not much later. She had her duffle in the backseat with presents she’d brought for fun, plus another bag that carried Christmas presents for everyone. She got her car parked and was even grabbing the bags out of the backseat when someone came out the door to greet her. It didn’t surprise her that it was Clint. With as worried as he was—and he made jokes about Natasha being overprotective, the hypocrite—there was no way he was going to leave before Spencer got here.

She had to set her bags back down again when he got close. Laughter filled the air as Clint scooped her up and swung her around in a circle. “Abbu!” Spencer was grinning when he set her on her feet again. “You’re a lunatic.”

“Your point?”

He was smirking and Spencer couldn’t help shaking her head and laughing. She shoved at him, making him laugh with her, and bent to grab her bags. When he tried to reach around her, she smacked at his hands. “Keep back. You stay out of those!”

Really, she should’ve known better. Clint just about lit up at those words and his eyes went to the bags. “Ooooh, _presents_!”

When he went to reach for them, Spencer twisted herself away. She lifted her free hand to point at him and tried to fix him with her sternest glare. “Clinton Francis Barton, you keep your hands away from my bags.”

The sound of people laughing on the porch made it clear they weren’t alone anymore. Laura laughed outright at Spencer's attempts to be stern with Clint just as much as she was laughing at the little-boy mischievous look that Clint was wearing. Natasha stood beside her, leaning against the porch railing and smirking down at them both.

Spencer smiled a greeting over at Natasha, getting a small nod in return, and then she fixed her attention on Laura. The woman looked… good. She looked really good. Pregnancy seemed to suit her in a way that Spencer had thought only happened in stories and movies. Laura looked happy, one hand resting on her stomach in a gesture that was probably instinctive, and there was a warmth to her that just lit her up from the inside out. She was almost radiating her positive emotions. And inside, underneath it all … Spencer's smile grew as she got closer. She could feel her brother in there. No fully formed, coherent thoughts or anything like that. He didn’t know any words with which to form those thoughts. But his emotions, the impression of his mind? Those were just, they were amazing and beautiful, and they’d imprinted on Spencer's heart in a way she’d never experienced before.

The two women hugged one another tightly once Spencer reached the porch. “Welcome home.” Laura murmured in her ear.

Even though this had been a home for her for five, almost six months now, it was still new enough that it gave her a thrill to hear it. This was her _home_. A real, actual home. One where she was wanted, where she was loved, and where she was _safe_. Spencer knew she’d never stop being grateful for it.

When they pulled back, Spencer took a moment to crouch down in front of Laura, one hand coming to rest on her stomach. This was something they’d done quite a few times since Spencer had found out the woman was pregnant and it was something that Laura strongly encouraged. She didn’t let Spencer get embarrassed or unsure about it. Smiling, Spencer bent her head a little, closing her eyes and extending her powers just enough for her mind and emotions to brush against that of her brother. It wasn’t a mind link, they didn’t speak or exchange thoughts, and it wasn’t a full empathic link either where they shared emotions. It was more… the mental and emotional equivalent of a hug. She brushed up against his presence and twined around him just enough to give a sort of hello, to which his emotions responded with a happy little pulse.

She looked up and found Laura smiling down at her. “How’s he doing in there?”

“Happy.” The answer came easily. As she rose, she gave one of those smiles that so few got to see; a real one that had no filters. “It’s good to see you, Laura. You look wonderful.”

“Flatterer.”

With a shrug, Spencer didn’t bother denying it. She did, however, point back behind her and, without once turning around, called out “Get away from those bags or I’m taking your gift and donating it to charity.” The loud squawk her words got was quite satisfying. Lips twitching with the urge to grin, she moved closer to Laura and let the woman slip an arm around her. They exchanged amused glances with Natasha, who gave a tiny wink and told her “I’ll make sure your bags are safely taken care of” and then Laura was leading Spencer inside.

The feeling of _home_ wrapped even more firmly around Spencer as she went into the house. It was a sensation her new apartment didn’t have, and she was sure it probably never would. That was going to be just another place she was going to stay. Somewhere for the persona of Dr. Spencer Reid to go and rest his head when he needed to, between cases. But this place? She looked around the kitchen at the knickknacks hanging up on the walls, the old and loved looking dining table, and she let herself get surrounded by the scent of cleaner, coffee, and something delicious with a hint of cinnamon to it that suggested that Laura had been baking, and she knew—this was home. This would always be home.


	2. Chapter 2

After one night spent together, Clint headed out on his oh-so-important mission. The details of it had been easy for Spencer to pick up on in his mind; very rarely was his mind ever closed to her. He trusted her not to reach in and pick things out and he also trusted that she wouldn’t tell the things that she accidentally picked up on. Missions especially were one of those things. She knew what he was out to go do, just as she knew that it really was important. Important enough that he couldn’t even cry out from going so that he could be home with his pregnant wife over the holidays.

They did everything they could to reassure him that it was going to be okay with him gone. Spencer, Laura, and even Natasha made promises to him, until finally Natasha and Spencer had practically shoved him out the door. Things were going to be _fine_.

She should’ve known they were going to jinx themselves.

On the twenty-second of December, almost a full month earlier than she was due, Laura went into labor. The spike of pain mixed with the mental cry from both Laura _and_ Cooper was enough to wake Spencer from a dead sleep. In her Christmas pajamas that Laura had given her—a gift that the woman had beamed over—Spencer hit the stairs at a run, years of training keeping her from actually falling down them. She tore out of the door at the bottom and raced towards Laura’s room, slapping one hand against Natasha’s door as she passed by. As she reached Laura’s door, she heard Natasha yank her door open and join her.

When Spencer reached the bedroom, she found Laura standing beside the bed with a pained look on her face. She had one hand over her stomach and the other gripping tight to the footboard. Wide eyes lifted to Spencer’s face. Despite the pain there, and the fear that Spencer could feel, Laura maintained a calm look. “Someone’s a little impatient.”

“Sounds familiar.” Spencer said easily. She knew she had to keep her own calm; freaking out would do nothing to help Laura out at all. She needed to stay calm and keep a level head. Especially since she could feel Natasha’s thin layer of panic right behind her. With steady, silent footsteps, Spencer crossed the room to the woman who had adopted her so easily into her family, and it was almost natural to slide a hand on to Laura’s lower back and rub a little at the tense muscles there. “I thought you felt achy, but I wasn’t sure before. How far apart are they?”

“Close enough that we should probably go.” Laura said. But in her mind, Spencer caught the answer, knew there was more urgency than Laura was letting on, and she mentally cursed.

“All right.” Drawing in a steadying breath, Spencer nodded her head. “All right. Natasha?” She turned her head just enough to look at the woman who was still frozen by the doorway. “I need you to grab Laura’s go-bag and then go out to get the car started. She and I are going to start making our way down there and I want the car warm and ready for her. Make sure there’s a towel on her seat, too. Just in case.” Nothing that Spencer saw suggested that Laura’s water had broken, so better to be prepared for it if it happened on the way.

Natasha seemed pleased to be given something that she could do. She took off quickly, leaving just the two of them standing there.

For a moment the two were quiet while Laura rode out the last of the contraction. Only when it was over did Spencer finally speak again. “All right, Ammi. Let’s get you moving, hm? I imagine you’re more than ready for this.”

She missed the way that Laura looked at her, happy and stunned all at the same time, at the use of that title. The first time that Spencer had ever used it. But when Spencer looked at her, the woman was beaming. “Let’s go.”

* * *

They got to the hospital in record time. Spencer sat in the seat behind Laura and kept her calm, holding her hand with each contraction, and she kept up a projection of calm the entire time. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something. Better than doing nothing at all.

Upon arrival, they hit their first real hitch when the nurses tried to take Laura away and force Spencer and Natasha to stay behind. Spencer would’ve probably let it go, or charmed her way in, but Natasha was in no mood for any of it. “I’m her sister-in-law.” She hissed furiously. With one hand she gestured with her thumb towards Spencer. “And that’s her daughter. We’re going with her.”

“Daughter?” The nurse in question looked over at Spencer, her gaze openly assessing as it ran over Spencer’s body, taking in the pajama pants striped in red, green, and white, and up to the white tank top with the candy cane on the front and her lack of bra underneath. She was barefoot, too, and for some reason Spencer never quite understood that always seemed to make her appear younger.

It was Laura who answered from her place over by the doorway where she’d made the nurse pushing her wheelchair stop at. “Yes, my daughter, whom I very much want with me. Now let them through!”

That was how the three women found themselves down in a rather nice maternity suite. The hospital had wonderful, private rooms where a mom-to-be could rest, relax, and have their child in some form of peace. Or, as much peace as could be found during these things. Laura, once she was changed into a hospital gown, ended up sitting on this giant exercise ball thing that Spencer personally found a bit ridiculous. She knew better than to come out and say that, though. Instead, she just settled herself down into a squat at Laura’s side and took hold of her hand. Natasha set herself up like a guard near the door in a way that Spencer was both amused by and a bit jealous of.

Being in hospitals was never easy. Being in one and so close to someone that was in pain—that was much harder than Spencer had anticipated. She had to fight for control of her shields so as not to feel Laura’s pain right along with her as the next contraction hit. She kept her own reactions inside and just curled her hand around Laura’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Come on, Ammi, I’m right here. I got you.”

The sound Laura made in response was full of pain and it made the young empath wince as she felt the emotions that went with it, the ghost of a phantom contraction tightening her own womb. Then she focused all her attention right back on Laura. “You’re doing so well.” Spencer reassured her. She lifted her other hand, curling it over their joined hands, just holding on while Laura rode out the contraction. “That’s it, Ammi. Almost done with this one. Just keep breathing.”

When the contraction finally let go, the two women slumped down a little. Laura bowed her head and huffed out a breath. “Well, that sucked.”

A laugh slipped past Spencer's lips. She tilted her eyes up, sneaking a look at Laura’s face. There was a tiredness there, and strain lines around her eyes, but there was also a light that was reflected in her emotions. Laura was ready for this. She was ready for her son to be born.

Her thoughts must’ve been a close echo of Spencer’s because she smiled and asked “You ready for a baby brother, sweetheart?”

“Absolutely.” _Not at all._ What did she know about being an older sibling? Or, hell, a sibling at all? And what did she even know about babies? The idea of one terrified her. She had never entertained the thought of being a mother herself. Physically, she knew it was possible. In fact, with her healing factor her body was always in good health, always ready, and the doctors at the Facility had predicted that she’d probably carry one of the healthiest children out there because of that, but it wasn’t something that she’d ever had the urge to give in to. Who knew what she’d pass on after everything they’d done to her?

She gave a mental shake and let those thoughts go. Now wasn’t the time for that. Now was the time for this—for family.

When another contraction started, Spencer was there, holding on and doing everything she could to help the woman she considered like a second mother.

* * *

What came next was an experience that Spencer knew she’d never forget. It was filthy, messy, painful, wonderful, beautiful. Laura had been absolutely amazing. She’d showed more strength than some agents that Spencer knew. And after hours and hours of labor—just Spencer, Laura, and occasionally Natasha in the room, though Natasha left a few times to call Clint and Phil, and again when Phil arrived—they finally had the most beautiful, wonderful little boy in the world.

Spencer knew she was biased. She didn’t really care, though. As she stood at the window to the NICU and looked inside at her new baby brother, she felt a well of love and pride inside of her. _Hello, you_ , she thought, staring in at the tiny little bundle. He was swaddled in blankets, with a few tubes coming out of it, and nurses came and went around him, yet Spencer knew him without even having to look. She’d always know the feel of his mind and emotions. They were a part of her now.

She heard a ghost of movement behind her and didn’t even bother to turn around. When Phil moved up to her side, she finally looked over at him, giving one of her rare smiles. “Have you seen him, Taya?”

The use of that title—it meant Uncle—brought a smile to Phil’s face. He didn’t have on his emotionless work mask at the moment. This was the real Phil; the one only for family and close friends. As he smiled, he reached out and laid his jacket over her shoulders, tucking it around her almost absently. “He looks just like his Mom.”

Personally, Spencer thought it was too early to tell that. Natasha had told her not to say that to anyone, though. So Spencer held that thought in and just turned back to look at Cooper once more while she adjusted the coat, slipping her arms into the sleeves. It was warm and comfortable and a bit big. She smiled as she burrowed into it and watched her new brother. He’d come early, but he’d been so healthy. They had him hooked up to some things that Spencer didn’t know. Oxygen, medicine, things that Laura had told her afterwards were just to make sure he stayed okay. “She said he was healthy. Even with the stuff they have him on, he’s healthy.”

“She’s right.” Phil agreed. “He’s healthy, but he is early. They’ll need to monitor him for a while and make sure that he’s breathing all right and that he gains the proper amount of weight. Once they’re sure that he’s developing well, they’ll let him go home.”

The calm recitation of facts helped to soothe Spencer down. She could feel that Phil wasn’t lying. He was telling her the truth the same way he always did. The man had a way of saying things so simply it was easy to believe them. Even if he didn’t always give her all the facts, or if he told her that it wasn’t important to know right now, she knew that he was still being honest with her and as straightforward as he could be.

They stood there together for a while until Spencer saw one of the nurses head towards the door that would lead into the hallway. It was one of the ones that had been looking over Cooper. Immediately, Spencer turned to look at her, worry already filling her.

The nurse was smiling, though. A real, bright smile as she came towards them, eyes right on Spencer. “Are you Erin?” The woman asked. At Spencer's nod, she smiled and stepped to the side, holding the door open. “Would you like to come in and see your brother?”

Surprise had Spencer's eyebrows shooting up. They were inviting her in there? In _there_ , where Cooper was? “Shouldn’t I… shouldn’t I, y’know, wait…I mean, he’s hooked up to all those things.” Unsure, she turned to look at Phil, feeling completely lost. The idea of Cooper was one thing. Feeling him in Laura, looking at him now, that was all easy and simple. But going in there and holding him? Especially while he was hooked up to things and so damn _small_?

The gentle look on Phil’s face reassured her, as did the hand he curled over her shoulder. “Go on, Erin. Go meet your brother.”

That was how Spencer found herself inside the little nursery, sitting in a cushioned chair as the nurse brought over a small, blanket-wrapped bundle. Spencer had expected the woman to sit by her, or squat down for Spencer to see. She hadn’t expected for the woman to bend down and start to hand the baby over! Spencer immediately put her arms up, scrambling to make sure she could get a hold of him, though she knew her panic was likely visible in her eyes. She’d never held a baby like this before! What on earth was this woman thinking? What if Spencer dropped him? What if she did something wrong?

“There we are.” The nurse said, smiling down at them. “Mind the tubes and you’ll do just fine there, sweetheart. Touch is good for him right now.” She straightened up and her smile grew as she looked at them. “I’ll just let the two of you get acquainted, then.” And with that, she actually turned around and _left_.

Spencer stared in stunned shock at the door closing behind the nurse. She might’ve kept staring if she hadn’t felt a little wiggle from the bundle she held. Immediately her gaze snapped back down to him. A little wrinkle was showing between Cooper’s brows and he’d turned his head in a little towards her. He was so _tiny_. Spencer curled her arms in a little better until she felt like she had a better hold on him. Then she settled back into the chair. She cradled him like he was made of glass and one wrong move would shatter him. As she held him, she got her first true feel of his emotions without them being wrapped around Laura’s, and the feel of it made her gasp a little. It made him _real._

“Oh.” The word fell softly past her lips. She had to blink her eyes a few times, battling back the tears that unexpectedly built there. “Hello there, little one. Hello.”

Something that felt a bit like confusion, only muzzy around the edges, filled the child in her arms, and she immediately made a soft shushing sound like she’d heard Laura do when Spencer was upset by something. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, you’re all right.” Spencer murmured. She tried to remember what she’d seen women do in the past and started to bounce lightly, albeit a little awkwardly. The only time she’d really been around babies was on a job in Italy, when she’d stayed with a wonderful woman and her newborn baby boy. Spencer doubted she was doing as good a job as that woman had, but it seemed to do the trick. Those lines in Cooper’s brow went away and his emotions settled back down to that content fuzziness that most babies had.

She remembered the way the woman had spoken to her son like he could understand, how she’d explained it was good to talk to babies, and the gentle way she’d spoken with him. Spencer did her best to emulate that. “There we are, _piccolino_. That’s right. You’re okay now. I know, everything’s got to be so scary for you right now. I can’t even imagine. But you’re okay here. You’re safe. I’ll keep you safe, I promise.” It was the only kind of promise she knew how to make.

Cooper shifted against her and made a soft sound that resembled the start of a cry. Shushing him again, Spencer tried to add a little rock to her bounce, hoping it would help. “You’re okay, Cooper.” She kept up her soft words, which seemed to be easing his emotions once more as if he liked the sound of her voice. Well, if that was the case, talking was always easy for her to do. She could talk about anything. “You’ll be all right. You couldn’t be any luckier, you know that? You were born into the best family there is out there. Ammi and Abbu, your Mom and Dad, they’re going to love you and take care of you no matter what happens. They’ll keep you safe. So will our Phuppi, Tashi. And so will I. I won’t let anyone hurt you, you hear me?” Though she knew the baby couldn’t understand, she drew him up enough until she could press her lips against his hair and whisper her promise there. “I’ll never, ever let anyone hurt you. You’ll never be anyone’s tool. Ever.”

When she lowered her arms again and relaxed once more into the chair, she finally dared to look up. Phil was still standing at the observation window, and in that moment Spencer would’ve dared anyone to tell her that the man was emotionless. His eyes were bright and his smile was the biggest that Spencer had ever seen. She couldn’t help but smile back at him. But it was the man at his side that really caught Spencer’s attention.

Clint looked like he’d crawled through a war zone to get here. He was in a SHIELD uniform that was filthy and looked to be torn somewhere along his stomach, and there was dirt along his skin and even in his blond hair. There was a giant bruise on his face and a mark along his neck that Spencer could only barely make out, and he looked like he was favoring his right leg a little bit. Yet, for all that, the man was beaming. His eyes were bright and his grin stretched from ear to ear. Everything about him showed a joy that Spencer had never seen there before.

She smiled back at him, reaching out with her mind to wrap around him and offer him a hug that was gladly returned. _//Welcome home, Abbu//_

 _//It’s damn good to be home//_ He sent back. His eyes drifted from staring at Cooper to studying her face, letting her see the way that they sparkled, how they crinkled at the corners. _//Damn good//_

His smile was infectious. Spencer returned it, her heart lighter than she could ever remember it being. _This is my family_ , she thought. _This right here. This is my family._ She looked back down at her little brother and found him asleep in her arms. Bending once more, she pressed another kiss to his hair, silently making one last promise. _I will lay down my life before I let anyone hurt you. I’ll keep you safe, always, and make sure that you never doubt just how much I love you._


End file.
